Mixer

Discord

Blizzard Battletag

Nintendo ID

PSN ID

Steam

Origin

Xbox Gamertag

Google has been slowly moving into gaming for quite some time. Now, the tech giant has decided it will try to break into mainstream gaming with Stadia, its state-of-the-art game streaming platform. Google claims it will offer up to 4K resolution at 60fps, cross-play functionality, and unleash more processing power for devs to play around with than current consoles, in some cases double the capabilities of current premium consoles.
We've known for quite a while that Google has been working on perfecting video game streaming. Late last year, the company offered the public a chance to play around with Project Stream, a closed beta meant to test the platform's capabilities. Project Stream brought gamers into the test by offering to stream Assassin's Creed Odyssey in HD.
It seems that Project Stream's test was successful. Today, Google took the stage at GDC to unveil their full service, Stadia. Stadia runs almost entirely by streaming game data from Google's servers, eliminating the need for a console or PC to play or store games (though a Chromecast dongle will be needed to stream games to a television). When Stadia launches later this year, Google's Phil Harrison claims that it will be able to ensure 4K at a steady 60fps to almost any screen one could imagine. Eventually, Google sees Stadia capable of hitting an 8K resolution at 60fps, according to one of their key visuals from the presentation.
Of course, that doesn't mean that everyone will have internet capable of delivering those resolutions and frames at a smooth clip. At no point during the reveal of Stadia did Google's reps reveal what sort of internet speed gamers would need to maintain a steady streaming experience. On top of that, questions remain about how well Stadia can handle streaming online games. A great deal hinges on whether or not people have access to internet connections capable of supporting Stadia. It's quite possible that the type of performance Google has touted for Stadia will be unreachable for most people looking to get in on game streaming. For comparison, Project Stream required users to have a connection of 15 megabits per second with 40 millisecond latency, though it was only offering 1080p resolutions and still seemed to suffer from occasional hiccups. Whether those issues were the result of untested streaming software or an indication of Stadia's future remains unclear.
Game streaming has been around for quite a while, but it has always occupied a niche space. Notably, services like PlayStation Now and the late OnLive service have offered streaming in recent years, though they have always contended with the issues of internet on both the side of the company and the users. Google claims that the hardware on its end will enable a smooth experience that will make many people believers in the possibilities Stadia holds. They believe they have a system that will allow people to watch a trailer, press a button, and be playing a new game all in a few seconds.
Stadia has been designed to be an incredibly versatile platform. It will work on televisions, tablets, laptops, phones, and PCs. On top of that, it will work with existing controllers attached to laptops or PCs. Google will be releasing its own optional controllers for Stadia, as well. These proprietary controllers connect to Google's streaming centers directly to offer a slightly better response time, the ability to share in-game content to YouTube (livestreaming, clips, and screenshots), and a Google Assistant that will be able to offer advice if players get stuck.
Interestingly, Google seems to be going hard not just into the development of Stadia as a platform, but also into the games it can offer players. According to the announcement, over 100 studios have received Stadia develpment kits. On top of that, Google has founded Stadia Games Entertainment, a studio that will make games exclusive to the streaming platform. One of Ubisoft's most legendary producers, Jade Raymond, will be overseeing Stadia Games & Entertainment to work on its game projects while also bringing new features to third-party games coming to Stadia. So far, the first game revealed to be running on Stadia has been Doom Eternal.
A number of features are made possible by Stadia that are pretty intriguing. Players will be able to do something called "state share," where they are able to save their game at a specific moment in time and then share that with other players or friends via a simple link. Another possibility is called Crowd Play. This would enable players watching a livestream to digitally line up for their chance to control the same game instance and become the streamer, offering a new way for streamers to interact with audiences.
What do you think? Can you embrace an all digital, all remote future for gaming?
Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!

Google has been slowly moving into gaming for quite some time. Now, the tech giant has decided it will try to break into mainstream gaming with Stadia, its state-of-the-art game streaming platform. Google claims it will offer up to 4K resolution at 60fps, cross-play functionality, and unleash more processing power for devs to play around with than current consoles, in some cases double the capabilities of current premium consoles.
We've known for quite a while that Google has been working on perfecting video game streaming. Late last year, the company offered the public a chance to play around with Project Stream, a closed beta meant to test the platform's capabilities. Project Stream brought gamers into the test by offering to stream Assassin's Creed Odyssey in HD.
It seems that Project Stream's test was successful. Today, Google took the stage at GDC to unveil their full service, Stadia. Stadia runs almost entirely by streaming game data from Google's servers, eliminating the need for a console or PC to play or store games (though a Chromecast dongle will be needed to stream games to a television). When Stadia launches later this year, Google's Phil Harrison claims that it will be able to ensure 4K at a steady 60fps to almost any screen one could imagine. Eventually, Google sees Stadia capable of hitting an 8K resolution at 60fps, according to one of their key visuals from the presentation.
Of course, that doesn't mean that everyone will have internet capable of delivering those resolutions and frames at a smooth clip. At no point during the reveal of Stadia did Google's reps reveal what sort of internet speed gamers would need to maintain a steady streaming experience. On top of that, questions remain about how well Stadia can handle streaming online games. A great deal hinges on whether or not people have access to internet connections capable of supporting Stadia. It's quite possible that the type of performance Google has touted for Stadia will be unreachable for most people looking to get in on game streaming. For comparison, Project Stream required users to have a connection of 15 megabits per second with 40 millisecond latency, though it was only offering 1080p resolutions and still seemed to suffer from occasional hiccups. Whether those issues were the result of untested streaming software or an indication of Stadia's future remains unclear.
Game streaming has been around for quite a while, but it has always occupied a niche space. Notably, services like PlayStation Now and the late OnLive service have offered streaming in recent years, though they have always contended with the issues of internet on both the side of the company and the users. Google claims that the hardware on its end will enable a smooth experience that will make many people believers in the possibilities Stadia holds. They believe they have a system that will allow people to watch a trailer, press a button, and be playing a new game all in a few seconds.
Stadia has been designed to be an incredibly versatile platform. It will work on televisions, tablets, laptops, phones, and PCs. On top of that, it will work with existing controllers attached to laptops or PCs. Google will be releasing its own optional controllers for Stadia, as well. These proprietary controllers connect to Google's streaming centers directly to offer a slightly better response time, the ability to share in-game content to YouTube (livestreaming, clips, and screenshots), and a Google Assistant that will be able to offer advice if players get stuck.
Interestingly, Google seems to be going hard not just into the development of Stadia as a platform, but also into the games it can offer players. According to the announcement, over 100 studios have received Stadia develpment kits. On top of that, Google has founded Stadia Games Entertainment, a studio that will make games exclusive to the streaming platform. One of Ubisoft's most legendary producers, Jade Raymond, will be overseeing Stadia Games & Entertainment to work on its game projects while also bringing new features to third-party games coming to Stadia. So far, the first game revealed to be running on Stadia has been Doom Eternal.
A number of features are made possible by Stadia that are pretty intriguing. Players will be able to do something called "state share," where they are able to save their game at a specific moment in time and then share that with other players or friends via a simple link. Another possibility is called Crowd Play. This would enable players watching a livestream to digitally line up for their chance to control the same game instance and become the streamer, offering a new way for streamers to interact with audiences.
What do you think? Can you embrace an all digital, all remote future for gaming?
Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!
View full article

Google has announced a new initiative called Project Stream that aims to smoothly stream HD video games to players via the company's Chrome internet browser. This would mark one of the biggest attempts Google has made to enter the gaming market thus far, especially if it turns out to be a successful alternative for third party developers and publishers looking to release a typically console-focused games to a larger audience. It would also mean that most devices capable of a steady internet connection and running Google Chrome could be turned into gameplay streaming hubs.
The ambition of this endeavor is striking, but also faces some significant hurdles. Specifically, consistently running smooth, HD graphics via stream poses pretty big problems using current technologies. The requirement of high-speed broadband internet could limit the availability of Project Stream for people in the general market as will the need to be close to Google's data centers (for now). Latency has long been another factor holding streamed games back from reaching their full potential in the United States with its lagging internet infrastructure. Finally, part of Project Stream will be dedicated to figuring out exactly how costly running such a service might be to Google.
If it can figure out a way to make the tech work and it finds a market among gamers, the floodgates will open for Google-powered services to take on gaming applications like Google's Cloud or Daydream VR equipment. It would also offer the chance for Google to enter the digital game storefront business, competing directly with the likes of Steam and Good Old Games for exclusives and sales prices.
Those who find the idea intriguing and are 17 years or older can sign up for a beta trial of the service which will allow those selected to stream Assassin's Creed Odyssey to Google Chrome. There will be no charges for the beta though they do recommend an internet connection that holds at 25Mbps download speeds. The test will start on October 5 and the number of participants will be limited.
This seems pretty neat and, if you have a solid enough internet connection, a good way to possibly play Assassin's Creed Odyssey for free.
Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!
View full article

Google has announced a new initiative called Project Stream that aims to smoothly stream HD video games to players via the company's Chrome internet browser. This would mark one of the biggest attempts Google has made to enter the gaming market thus far, especially if it turns out to be a successful alternative for third party developers and publishers looking to release a typically console-focused games to a larger audience. It would also mean that most devices capable of a steady internet connection and running Google Chrome could be turned into gameplay streaming hubs.
The ambition of this endeavor is striking, but also faces some significant hurdles. Specifically, consistently running smooth, HD graphics via stream poses pretty big problems using current technologies. The requirement of high-speed broadband internet could limit the availability of Project Stream for people in the general market as will the need to be close to Google's data centers (for now). Latency has long been another factor holding streamed games back from reaching their full potential in the United States with its lagging internet infrastructure. Finally, part of Project Stream will be dedicated to figuring out exactly how costly running such a service might be to Google.
If it can figure out a way to make the tech work and it finds a market among gamers, the floodgates will open for Google-powered services to take on gaming applications like Google's Cloud or Daydream VR equipment. It would also offer the chance for Google to enter the digital game storefront business, competing directly with the likes of Steam and Good Old Games for exclusives and sales prices.
Those who find the idea intriguing and are 17 years or older can sign up for a beta trial of the service which will allow those selected to stream Assassin's Creed Odyssey to Google Chrome. There will be no charges for the beta though they do recommend an internet connection that holds at 25Mbps download speeds. The test will start on October 5 and the number of participants will be limited.
This seems pretty neat and, if you have a solid enough internet connection, a good way to possibly play Assassin's Creed Odyssey for free.
Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!

Pokémon Go released in 2016 as part of a collaboration between Nintendo and Niantic Labs, a game developer that grew out of a Google initiative designed to explore the potential uses of the technology used to create Google Maps. The mobile phone game caused an unprecedented fervor in the general public, gaining a worldwide following in the hundreds of millions. Though plagued by technical issues at release, becoming the subject of criticism for the public behavior of the player base, and botching some high profile events, Pokémon Go continues to receive updates and has maintained a consistent base of support from around 65 million people.
Given the sweeping social impact Pokémon Go had, would it be fair to call it one of the best games period?
Each week we will be tackling a video game, old or new, that at least one of us believes deserves to stand as one of the greatest games of all time. We'll dive into its history, development, and gameplay, while trying to argue for or against the game of the week. Sometimes we will be in harmonious agreement, other times we might be fighting a bitter battle to the very end. However each episode shakes out, we hope that everyone who listens will find the show entertaining and informative
Outro music: Pokémon Silver 'Lucky Coin' by Schtiffles (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03476)
Kevin Slackie can be found on Twitter @KSlackie talking about game design and meeting Ray Wise.
You can download or listen to the podcast over on Soundcloud, our hosting site, and iTunes. A YouTube version is available as well, so you can watch what we are talking about while we talk about it!
If you want to have your opinion heard on air, share your opinion in the comments, follow the show on Twitter, and participate in the weekly polls: @BestGamesPeriod
New episodes of The Best Games Period will be released every Monday
View full article

Pokémon Go released in 2016 as part of a collaboration between Nintendo and Niantic Labs, a game developer that grew out of a Google initiative designed to explore the potential uses of the technology used to create Google Maps. The mobile phone game caused an unprecedented fervor in the general public, gaining a worldwide following in the hundreds of millions. Though plagued by technical issues at release, becoming the subject of criticism for the public behavior of the player base, and botching some high profile events, Pokémon Go continues to receive updates and has maintained a consistent base of support from around 65 million people.
Given the sweeping social impact Pokémon Go had, would it be fair to call it one of the best games period?
Each week we will be tackling a video game, old or new, that at least one of us believes deserves to stand as one of the greatest games of all time. We'll dive into its history, development, and gameplay, while trying to argue for or against the game of the week. Sometimes we will be in harmonious agreement, other times we might be fighting a bitter battle to the very end. However each episode shakes out, we hope that everyone who listens will find the show entertaining and informative
Outro music: Pokémon Silver 'Lucky Coin' by Schtiffles (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03476)
Kevin Slackie can be found on Twitter @KSlackie talking about game design and meeting Ray Wise.
You can download or listen to the podcast over on Soundcloud, our hosting site, and iTunes. A YouTube version is available as well, so you can watch what we are talking about while we talk about it!
If you want to have your opinion heard on air, share your opinion in the comments, follow the show on Twitter, and participate in the weekly polls: @BestGamesPeriod
New episodes of The Best Games Period will be released every Monday

Google has officially unveiled their new VR product. Titled Daydream View, their VR device operates similarly to Samsung's Gear VR. Customers insert their smart phone into the device and use it as the VR screen. It doesn't seem to be something that will be in direct competition with dedicated VR platforms like Oculus, PSVR, or the HTC Vive, but it comes with the significantly smaller price tag of $80. This puts it at a slightly cheaper price than Samsung's device that also makes use of smart phones.
The Daydream View will come with a single, small motion-controller to help play VR games and apps. It's compatible with Google's recently announced Pixel phone or "any Daydream-ready phone." Google has been understandably cagey about that last part; they want to sell their Pixel phone after all. Turns out that not many smart phones on the market are ready for what Google considers Daydream-ready. In fact, only one phone has actually been given that stamp of approval: Google's own Pixel. Rumors are swirling that advanced phones like ZTE's Axon 7 will be made compatible at a later date, but when the Pixel launches it will be the first one ready for Google's Daydream View.
Google has said that the device will have over 50 apps available by the end of the year and hundreds more in the future. Daydream View officially launches sometime in November. It will be interesting to see how successful a cheaper competitor to the Gear VR will fare on the open market this holiday season. While it won't have the horsepower to compete with its beefier PC and console cousins, Daydream could open the door to more casual, mobile VR experiences.
What do you think? Will you be picking up one of these contraptions next month?

Google has officially unveiled their new VR product. Titled Daydream View, their VR device operates similarly to Samsung's Gear VR. Customers insert their smart phone into the device and use it as the VR screen. It doesn't seem to be something that will be in direct competition with dedicated VR platforms like Oculus, PSVR, or the HTC Vive, but it comes with the significantly smaller price tag of $80. This puts it at a slightly cheaper price than Samsung's device that also makes use of smart phones.
The Daydream View will come with a single, small motion-controller to help play VR games and apps. It's compatible with Google's recently announced Pixel phone or "any Daydream-ready phone." Google has been understandably cagey about that last part; they want to sell their Pixel phone after all. Turns out that not many smart phones on the market are ready for what Google considers Daydream-ready. In fact, only one phone has actually been given that stamp of approval: Google's own Pixel. Rumors are swirling that advanced phones like ZTE's Axon 7 will be made compatible at a later date, but when the Pixel launches it will be the first one ready for Google's Daydream View.
Google has said that the device will have over 50 apps available by the end of the year and hundreds more in the future. Daydream View officially launches sometime in November. It will be interesting to see how successful a cheaper competitor to the Gear VR will fare on the open market this holiday season. While it won't have the horsepower to compete with its beefier PC and console cousins, Daydream could open the door to more casual, mobile VR experiences.
What do you think? Will you be picking up one of these contraptions next month?
View full article

Join the developer community this year at our 3rd consecutive Google I/O Extended in Grand Rapids! Held at the Harris Building in downtown GR, this event will be more “Googley” than ever. With a day full of live tech presentations, food, networking, games, Google I/O Live Streams, and a special after-party; it will be a day you won’t want to miss.
Your Attendee registration will grant you a spot at the conference and after party. This will grant you access to all of the event keynotes and sessions, conference t-shirt and swag, refreshments, lunch, and snacks throughout the conference!
This year the conference planning committee has formed the Google Developers Group of Grand Rapids (GDG GR). Please head over to our meetup page and checkout our new website to follow us for future events!

Four-month-old Teegan Lexcen was born in Minnesota with a small, malformed heart, no left lung, and the faintest chance of seeing her first Christmas. Now she's recovering after open-heart surgery at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, Florida, where a team of enterprising doctors used a smartphone and Google's Cardboard VR headset to peer into her chest and save her life.
Tackling such a delicate operation would've been harrowing even if the patient were an adult, but Teegan's situation was made trickier by her fragile frame. A successful surgery would have required an astute understanding of the shape her tiny heart was in, and 2D MRI scans could only tell part of the story. The answer? Dr. Juan-Carlos Muniz, head of Nicklaus Children's MRI department, converted those 2D scans into stereoscopic images, loaded them onto an iPhone and stuck it inside Google Cardboard for his colleague, cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Redmond Burke to peek at. The experience, Burke told UploadVR, was like "standing in the operating room" two weeks prior to surgery.
Armed with clearer knowledge of Teegan's heart, Dr. Burke figured out where to make his first incision — right in the middle of her chest. Seven hours later, Teegan got a new lease on life and the VR movement got a brand new feather in its collective cap. Most of the medical VR experiences we've seen have been centered around touring the deep recesses of the brain, be they abstract or unflinchingly complex. While those simulations tend to rely on high-grade VR setups like the Oculus Rift, the events of the past few weeks prove you don't need pricey gear to change minds and lives — just a willingness to look at things a little differently.

Google released their analytics from 2014, revealing that Minecraft was the second most searched term on the service, losing only to generic music searches. Minecraft was searched more often than movies, Frozen, or Beyoncé. PewDiePie also topped the charts, ranking a solid 5% over searches for rapper Eminem.
And there is more. Gaming consistently remains the top category of content accessed on YouTube. In the month of October, video games were the number one most viewed type of videos for all but six days.
Gender also seems to play a role in how viewers interact with gaming videos. 70% of users who like, favorite, comment, or playlist videos identify as male. However, viewers that identify as female tended to spend more time actually watching the videos.
Some interesting info to digest as we make our way into 2015.

Google released their analytics from 2014, revealing that Minecraft was the second most searched term on the service, losing only to generic music searches. Minecraft was searched more often than movies, Frozen, or Beyoncé. PewDiePie also topped the charts, ranking a solid 5% over searches for rapper Eminem.
And there is more. Gaming consistently remains the top category of content accessed on YouTube. In the month of October, video games were the number one most viewed type of videos for all but six days.
Gender also seems to play a role in how viewers interact with gaming videos. 70% of users who like, favorite, comment, or playlist videos identify as male. However, viewers that identify as female tended to spend more time actually watching the videos.
Some interesting info to digest as we make our way into 2015.
View full article

In the ramp up to Destiny's release next week, Bungie has partnered with Google to create interactive maps of the planets players can visit in-game. Enterprising players who take the time to explore those planets can unlock a neat reward.
Players who take the time to find every viewable in Planet View will be receive a unique emblem to show off in-game.
In addition to the flashy piece of loot, Planet View gives a lot of narrated background on the different environments and enemies that players will encounter. As someone who takes a particular interest in lore and world building in video games, more information about the denizens of Destiny's universe is always welcome.
Destiny releases next week on September 9.

In the ramp up to Destiny's release next week, Bungie has partnered with Google to create interactive maps of the planets players can visit in-game. Enterprising players who take the time to explore those planets can unlock a neat reward.
Players who take the time to find every viewable in Planet View will be receive a unique emblem to show off in-game.
In addition to the flashy piece of loot, Planet View gives a lot of narrated background on the different environments and enemies that players will encounter. As someone who takes a particular interest in lore and world building in video games, more information about the denizens of Destiny's universe is always welcome.
Destiny releases next week on September 9.
View full article

Ever wondered what Minecraft would be like if quantum mechanics were programmed into it? No? Well, Google's Quantum A.I. Lab certainly has and now you can play their creation.
qCraft essentially adds a few of the principles of quantum mechanics to Minecraft in the form of blocks that do their best to represent quantum entanglement, superposition, and observer dependency. While all elements of quantum mechanics may not be present, Google doesn't try to cover that up and fully admits that it isn't a complete recreation of those principles. Essentially, qCraft is supposed to be a fun way to introduce people to some of the core elements of one of the crazier and most mind-bending parts of modern physics research.
You can learn more about qCraft or download the mod on qcraft.org.
What do you think? Interesting? Pointless? We'd love to hear some of your thoughts!
View full article

Ever wondered what Minecraft would be like if quantum mechanics were programmed into it? No? Well, Google's Quantum A.I. Lab certainly has and now you can play their creation.
qCraft essentially adds a few of the principles of quantum mechanics to Minecraft in the form of blocks that do their best to represent quantum entanglement, superposition, and observer dependency. While all elements of quantum mechanics may not be present, Google doesn't try to cover that up and fully admits that it isn't a complete recreation of those principles. Essentially, qCraft is supposed to be a fun way to introduce people to some of the core elements of one of the crazier and most mind-bending parts of modern physics research.
You can learn more about qCraft or download the mod on qcraft.org.
What do you think? Interesting? Pointless? We'd love to hear some of your thoughts!